Approximately one year ago, I found myself removed from the familiarity of the only state I have ever known. My husband matched to a surgery residency in a state filled with corn and tractors. As a native Texan, I have only ever known life in a large metropolitan area. I grew up near Fort Worth, went to college in Austin, worked near Dallas, and was most recently living in the largest “borderplex” in America: El Paso. Eager to discover what Iowa City had to offer, I began googling stores and activities I enjoyed only to discover I was moving to a city with a population less than 100k. When flying to the airport in Moline, I looked out the plane’s window and saw… fields. When driving toward Iowa City, I realized that had we missed our exit we would have missed civilization. What was my husband thinking moving our family to this strange, small town!?

At the risk of having my Texas “citizenship” revoked, I will admit that I love living in Iowa City. While the me from a year ago may have had doubts, the me from today has discovered the vibrancy of the creative corridor. The Iowa City metropolitan area bustles with activity. There is something for me, a stay at home mom, to do every day with my daughter. And it usually is free! Often, I choose our daily activities from a plethora of options available around town, through Iowa Medical Partners, or through my network of new friends.

Before I get off topic, now would be a good time to reemphasize my husband is a surgical resident. While the life of a surgical intern is not quite like life at Seattle Grace, there is one thing Grey’s Anatomy got right. My husband is at the hospital a lot. There is no sense in denying it. Some rotations are not as bad as others. However, many months are filled with long hours and few days off.

Within the first few weeks of living here, I met another mom at the library who had a daughter only six days older than my little one. As it turned out, she was also married to a surgical resident. If that wasn’t enough, our daughters were wearing the same pink GroVia cloth diaper. The universe couldn’t have set me up with a more perfect first Iowa friend! (Insert Shout Out to my PLAYGROUP co-chair Ceric Keck HERE). She imparted on me the single, most important advice for surviving residency.

If there is something you want to do, do it! If your spouse is available to tag along, awesome. However, do not deprive yourself opportunities and experiences because you are waiting on your spouse.

Maybe this advice isn’t glamorous. But it has proven to be the most useful advice I have received for surviving residency. If there is a festival or event you don’t want to miss, ATTEND IT! If there is a restaurant you want to try, TRY IT! Is there a place you want to explore, EXPLORE IT! If you are ready to eat dinner, EAT IT! When your spouse is available and able, savor that time together. Sometimes the stars do align. However, do not sit around waiting for that to happen.

Finally, my second piece of advice comes in the form of a quick plug. JOIN IOWA MEDICAL PARTNERS! Having a partner invested in the medical or dental field whether it be school, residency or fellowship, comes with a unique set of challenges. Furthermore, if you are like me, you may now be living far away from family and old friends. IMP has created friendships and opportunities that are helping me make the most of my life in Iowa.

One year down. Six more to go for us. Anyone have advice for surviving PGY2?

Boogie Board was so generous to send us a bunch of Boogie Board Jot 8.5's to give away to our members and we thought that the perfect way to give them away would be to give them to those who help us collect items for our Christmas service project for our local NICU. For the past 2 years we have donated bags filled with items for the mothers and babies at the University of Iowa NICU in hopes of brightening their Christmas as they stay in the hospital with their sweet babies. Thank you to all who have helped us in collecting items for our bags!

So what is Boogie board any way? Well, a Boogie Board is an ewriter that allows you to write notes, drawings or lists over and over again without the need for paper or pens! Just write, erase, and write again! We have the older style of Boogie Boards and we have loved them! My kids love taking them on long car or airplane rides, to church, or just to doodle on at any time! I also love to write my grocery list on mine! Some even come with magnets that you can put on the backs of them so you can put them on your fridge. They are super light ( MUCH lighter than an iPad) and are so easy just to throw in a purse or diaper bag.

​So would you like one right in time to put under your Christmas tree? Then grab something to donate to our NICU project before this Wednesday the 21st and you will be enterted to win one! Even if you only donate 1 bottle of nail polish, you are entered! :) I will draw the winners on Wednesday night so we coordinate a pickup or drop off of your prize.

​Thank you so much to Boogie Board for donating these Boogie Boards to our members! We appreciate it!

After an unusually warm fall, we’ve been reintroduced to winter. Winter brings with it holiday cheer, beautiful snowfalls and warm treats. However, it is also easy to catch the winter blues with colder weather and darker days. When you catch yourself pining for spring consider some of these ideas to still get out of the house this winter.1.Visit the Amana Colonies – This town is enchanting especially at Christmas time. Make sure to check out the General Store, which has a Room devoted to Christmas year-round. Also, don’t miss family style brunch at the Ronneburg. Come hungry and stay awhile so you can handle multiple rounds of pancakes.2.Try out a new winter activity – My favorite is cross-country skiing. You can rent skis from Fin and Feather and head out to the trails all over town. Believe it or not, there’s even some downhill skiing close by. Sundown Mountain is in Dubuque and Chestnut Mountain is in Galena, IL.3.Go to indoor sporting events – We all know about the Hawkeys, but don’t forget the RoughRiders (Cedar Rapids’ USHL hockey team) play all winter long. Cedar Rapids even has an indoor soccer league, the Rampage.4.Go ice skating – If you don’t have your own skates, rent them at Coral Ridge Mall or at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.5.Explore County or State Parks – Pile the layers on and get outside to see our County Parks in a whole new way. Most of the parks still offer events for kids and adults during the winter to help distract you from the cold.What are your favorite winter activities in Iowa? Share your wonderful ideas in the comments below!

Guys. Costco’s cookbook game this season is on point (or is it pointe? Fleek? I don’t know…it’s whatever the cool kids are saying these days to mean AMAZING). I love cookbooks. Like love love them. I think of them as art and look forward to those rare nights when the kids are in bed, the dishes are done, the laundry is folded, and I can sit on the couch and page through some of my favorites. So basically it’s once in a blue-full-harvest-super moon. But when the stars align and I DO get to relax with a cookbook it is oh so good. I’m pretty picky about which ones I decide to add to my collection so not any old cookbook will make the cut—they have to be filled with big, beautiful pictures and recipes I would love to make (i.e. heavy on the savory and light on the sweet). I’m a terrible, no good, awful baker that avoids the back of cookbooks like the plague. I’ll eat it, I just don’t want to make it! ANYWAYS…Summer was a disappointing time for cookbooks, especially at Costco. They typically have a few books here and there that sneak their way into my cart but this summer their selection was really lackluster. No name chefs with weird ingredients and not many pictures made me feel uninspired and therefore my stash of cookbooks—and our checkout total—stayed pretty small. Then the weather got cooler and the leaves started to change color. Apple spice everything was everywhere, women started wearing leggings and boots, and men stopped shaving. It was officially fall!Little known fact: fall is when a lot of cookbooks are released, specifically October. As if we needed another reason to love this season! So as I was perusing the samples one day I thought I’d take a lap around the cookbook table. I went in with low expectations and then BAM! I was hit in the face (or should I stay stomach?) with stacks of glorious, wonderful books that were currently on my Amazon wishlist just waiting for a moment of weakness when I’d buy them all. I stood there and paged through each and every one, bouncing the baby on one hip and opening a giant bag of veggie straws to keep the 4 year old quiet in the cart. My heart raced as I saw book after beautiful book that I wanted…no, needed! If I only had these cookbooks my dinners would be unforgettable! Our stomachs would be full, our children would learn to love wholesome foods, our friends would beg to join us for breakfast, lunch and dinner—all because of these books! It took very little rationalizing in my head to decide that a big ‘ole pile needed to come home with me. So now, without further adieu, I’d like to share my thoughts on a few of my favorites! To begin: The Queen BeesMartha Stewart and Ina Garten. Mic drop, fade to black. Do I really need to say more?!Martha Stewart is second on my list of people I wish I could be. Joanna Gaines is number one—Martha would be first if it wasn’t for that whole “insider trading criminal” thing and her weird relationship with Snoop Dog. *shakes head* I love Martha’s newest cookbooks Appetizers and Vegetables. The recipes are pretty easy without a billion ingredients and while some of them may be new to you, everything can basically be found at Hyvee. She really focuses on quality of ingredients (buy organic sweet potatoes…you’ll cry the first time you try them) so you don’t have to MAKE a lot of flavor, it’s already there with what you’re already using. Full disclosure: Vegetables is not a vegetarian cookbook but rather a vegetable-focused cookbook. The vegetables are the stars of the show but there a lot of recipes that have some sort of meat in them. If you’re looking for a vegetarian cookbook though, she has Meatless which I definitely recommend (I haven’t seen it at Costco yet). Ina Garten is another all-star of mine. I’m not a fan of her cooking show but her recipes are SO. GOOD. I tried about an infinity+1 recipes for Beef Stew and just could not find one that I liked. Enter her newest cookbook: Cooking for Jeffery. Jackpot! It was amazing! Technically the recipe was Lamb Stew with Spring vegetables but I used beef and made it in the fall--rebel, I know. Costco carries a lot of her cookbooks now, including my favorites Cooking for Jeffery and Make It Ahead. Her books are filled with lots of warm, comforting flavors covered in gravies and butter. She’s homemade, not healthy if you know what I mean! Besides the stew I got rave reviews from the butternut squash hummus in her Appetizers section. If you make it, don’t forget to pick up one of those jumbo bags of naan (by the salsas and guacamole) to serve with it!!If you could only have one cookbook…Just the thought makes me cringe. BUT If I really had to choose only one cookbook to save from the burning fire, I would have to choose The Complete Cook’s Country TV Show Cookbook. This cookbook is insane, especially for the price. EVERY recipe, ingredient testing, and equipment rating from 9 seasons. You heard me, 9! There is also a picture with every single recipe. It reminds me of a Grandma’s secret recipe book. Seriously think of any dish…there will be a recipe for it in there. There is also a ton of great information on what kitchen gear and brands to buy. If someone had given me this book as a wedding present maybe I wouldn’t have spent my first year of marriage burning Rice-a-roni every night! There is a bigger, textbook-like book there too which I have yet to check out. Cook’s Country had more pictures so it was a no brainer to get that one first.If you’re a serious Cookbook-ie (like Foodie but for cookbooks? Maybe it’s a thing…)Danielle Walker from Against All Grain just released a new cookbook called Celebrations. Now, I may be partial to it because I had the incredible experience of being on her Launch Team for the cookbook. I was on Instagram at the right time and she put up a message that she needed 150 people to recipe test and hype her new book before it was released. I was lucky number 89 and received the book about a month early and got to cook a bunch of her recipes for a media blitz she was doing. For those of you who don’t know, Danielle Walker is paleo and writes recipes that are gluten, dairy and refined sugar free. Most recipes use nut flours in place of white or wheat flour and there is a ton of coconut everything. If you are new to this way of cooking and eating, I would recommend getting her first book Against All Grain or Meals Made Simple. Celebrations is a great addition to her other two books but it is heavy on the baked goods (cookies, cakes, pastries, etc.) because that’s what a lot of grain and dairy free individuals miss at get-togethers. There are a lot of really great savory dishes too, but not as many as in Against All Grain or Meals Made Simple. I think Celebrations is a great cookbook for someone growing a collection, not necessarily starting one. Dump and Mix:Costco is carrying almost all of the Six Sister’s Stuff cookbooks. I kept Six Sister’s Stuff and Dinner Made Easy. Their recipes have lots of cream-of chicken/celery/onion and packets of onion soup mix but I think they’re good to have in your back pocket for days when you need something super easy. They also have craft ideas, cleaning to-do lists, and kid’s snack ideas. Their baked goods are pretty famous too—feel free to make some and drop them off at my house! Honorable Mention:Skinnytaste and Skinnytaste: Fast & Slow are pretty good too. I’m pretty sure she follows Weight Watchers—there are point totals on recipes—but I just ignore those. Fast & Slow is her newest release and each chapter is split up into fast (20 minute or less) and slow (slow cooker or long bake) recipes. I prefer Skinnytaste to Fast & Slow if I had to pick just one. She has a lot of Cuban/Mexican inspired recipes (I loooove her picadillo) and has a whole chapter dedicated just to tacos in Fast & Slow. We just made her Korean-Style Beef Tacos and I literally drank the sauce. It wasn’t my proudest moment but it was dang tasty!The Shocker:Guy Fieri Family Food. Just like with Ina, I am not a fan of Guy Fieri’s shows. I don’t own any of his other cookbooks and just threw this one in the cart thinking I would probably return it. I got home and started looking through it and I seriously love it! It has a very Southwest / West Coast feel (I’m pretty sure there’s roasted red peppers and onions in everything) and has lots of “build your own” style meals (tacos, chili, pizza, etc.). He also gives recipes on how to repurpose leftovers for more meals and a whole section dedicated to just kabobs. I don’t know about his other books but this one sure is great!The Disappointment:Alton Brown’s Everyday Cook. I don’t own any of his other books but saw a few of his recipes on the Today Show and thought I would give it a try. First of all, he uses a kitchen scale for a lot of his ingredients. While I know he’s a science guy that loves to get things precise, I’m more of a “that looks about right” kind of cook when it comes to measuring ingredients. Why dirty more dishes if you don’t have to?? So that was my first turn off. Then, unfortunately, the meals just weren’t things I’d cook. They were a little too picky or exotic for me (if you consider mussels exotic). This cookbook was food that he actually eats when cooking at home and all of the photos were shot on his iPhone—pretty cool! I wanted to love this book but just couldn’t. Thankfully Costco has that amazing return policy because this was one that went back.

Well I hope this post made you hungry! Head over to Costco today and pick up a great new cookbook—there’s one for everyone! And if you’re new to home cooking, I also recommend checking out their magazine section. My favs are Food Network Magazine and Martha Stewart Living. Also, a few of us started doing Cook The Book with Iowa Medical Partners members. We choose either a cookbook that everyone cooks out of or a theme (soup, vegetarian, etc.) and get together for a potluck to share recipes/tips. Let’s be honest: it’s a fancy name for an excuse to eat! Join us at our next get together Friday December 16th! Details will be in the Iowa Medical Partners Facebook group. The North Liberty library also does a Cook The Book. Their next event is December 5th at 6:30pm. They’re cooking their way through Chrissy Teigen’s book Cravings (which I of course own and recommend). Their events are for adults only, however, which is why we started something similar for Iowa Medical Partners—no babysitters needed! Bon Appetit!

It is hard to believe that it is Fall, let alone November, with the amazing weather we have been having. I heard its supposed to be 70 degrees on Thursday! Shorts the week before Thanksgiving! Where do we live again?!? For all of you Iowa newbies, No, this is not normal. Get ready because winter is most definitely coming. Here are some of my best tips for surviving the cold. LAYER IT UPAlways dress in layers. The weather here tends to change every ten minutes. If you have layers on you make it easier to get warm before you go outside and shed layers when you go inside so you don't melt. COVER UPThe wind chill out here is nasty. Make sure you have most of your skin covered. I'm talking hats, scarves, boots, the works. When the wind chill is really low, you can get frost bite in about 10 minutes, so make sure you limit your time outside then.SANCTUARY If you have little kids, find some indoor places to burn off energy. I recommend the Children's Museum, the indoor play place at the mall, the Play Station in Cedar Rapids, Synergy and the Gym-Nest both have open gym times, and the indoor playground at the North Liberty Community Center. PASS THE SALT, PLEASEInvest in a bag of salt. Iowa can get really icy, thanks to the cold and sometimes that means you are stuck chipping ice off the driveway so you can pull into the garage. Cover the ice that settles on the driveway with salt and after a few minutes it should come up easy. DON'T FREEZEIf you have any lawn furniture or if your kids have any plastic outside toys, make sure they make it somewhere covered for the winter because the cold will ruin it all. Plastic shatters when it gets really cold. Trust me, I speak from experience. Also, make sure that your garden hoses are unhooked from the spigot and in your garage. If you leave it attached, your pipes could burst and make a big mess for you. CLEAN IT UPGet the leaves out of your yard before the snow comes. There is nothing nastier than when the snow melts come Spring and there are gross, slimy leaves in your yard.

Hopefully we will get a few more weeks of this great weather before the cold sets in. If this is your first Iowa Winter, buckle up and enjoy the ride. Just remember, the winter doesn't last forever and spring will eventually come!

Are you all totally taking advantage of this amazing Fall we are having?! I know I am. In the back of my mind I keep thinking about the viruses and bugs that lurk just around the corner. The ones that show up when we are stuck inside and then pass them around from person to person for weeks at a time. Blah! This year, I feel a little better prepared to face them thanks to a friend that introduced me to using essential oils.

Are any of you out there “oilers”? I am completely new to them. A couple months ago, I went to a class my friend/neighbor taught and I was surprised to learn there are so many uses for oils.

I always thought that oils were mainly for aromatherapy. I had no idea they were used in cooking, cleaning, preventing illness, healing, stress/muscle relief, etc. They have so many uses, and what I have seen so far, I can say that I am very pleased.

I started with some of the main oils that most people use for many different things. Lavender for example is one of my favorites. Besides being a natural bug repellent, I have personally used it to calm my 4 year old from a raging irrational tantrum. All I did was rub a drop or two on the bottom of his feet and in seconds he called down. Maybe he was just super confused at what I was doing, but hey, whatever it was it worked!

I also have those stressful nights where I have too much on my mind and a couple drops of Lavender helps to relax and put me to sleep.

Peppermint has been a lifesaver for stress headaches. I love how the tingling/cooling feeling is refreshing and relaxing across my head and temples. I also recently used it for major heartburn. AWESOME.

Then of course there is Lemon oil. I use this one in the laundry to freshen that load I accidently forgot to change yesterday and sat in the washer so my husbands scrubs smell gross and musty. A few drops of lemon on a cloth can freshen a whole load of laundry. Its also nice to add to the free and clear fabric softener we use. I add Lemon oil to water as I drink it through out the day. It just plain smells nice.

There are a couple more I use on my kids, and I’ve been super happy with. Breathe is great for asthma relief. My 4 year old always gets asthma when he gets a cold. He started with a cough last week and I used Breathe oil on his feet and on his chest, along with another oil called On Guard that is meant to help boost the immune system. It helped the cough go away. Instead of lasting 2 weeks, all symptoms where gone in 3 days. I also used On Guard on all my kids when they came home with sore throats and runny noes. So far, it seems to nip it pretty fast and we haven’t developed any serious colds or coughs. I will be interested to see how it works as the school year goes on.

OK, now that I’ve named some of the oils I’ve used, who else loves oils? I am planning to host a class sometime soon to learn more about some of the mood oils. I have struggled with seasonal depression for several years, and I am hoping to find some alternative methods of dealing with it. Especially as we head in to the icy tundra of a winter here in Iowa.

Now for the GIVEAWAY, my friend who is an educator for Do Terra has generously donated a starter pack of essential oils. The three I talked about today—Lavender, Lemon, and Peppermint. To enter, leave me a comment with your name and what you know or don’t know about essential oils. And for an extra entry, let me know if you’d be interested in coming to a class I’m hosting soon and I will get in touch with you!

Sometimes I feel like I am living my life in survival mode. As a stay at home mom to 3 kids with a 3rd Year Ortho Resident for a husband, most days my goal is to keep the kids safe and fed, and somewhat happy. I’ve recently found myself with three side jobs that fill up any of that extra time I thought I had. This is great for supplementing the family’s income and fun for me, but that doesn’t mean it is all easy! I am no expert in this matter but these are my tips to surviving life as a resident’s spouse.

My kids...because every blog post needs a picture!

Plan ahead- This is without fail the best thing you can do to make your days run smoother. Make a meal plan and grocery list, so you can have your meals planned out and ready to go. Nothing is worse than staring in the fridge at 5pm with starving kids wondering what is for dinner. Although breakfast for dinner is always acceptable on those days! Two of my kids are in school but as soon as they get home we are on the go with sports events and practices. If I take 10 minutes to gather all the clothing they will need and pack snacks before they get home, we all make it out of the house a lot happier.

Take time for yourself. I love my kids and having them with me, but sometimes Mom needs a break! Everyone has something different they chose to do when they get an hour of free time, but mine is exercise. I love to get out and go for a run by myself! A huge help for me has been my gym membership. My daughter loves going to the gym daycare and I get an hour or two of uninterrupted me time. It’s a win-win. If exercise isn’t your thing take time for your hobbies or even to just sit down and read a book for a bit.

Keep your expectations low. There are so many times I plan on my husband making it home in time for an event or a sports game and it just doesn’t happen. It isn’t his fault, since I guess he is busy saving lives and all, but it still is hard! If I just assume he won’t make it home and that I am doing bedtime or a football game by myself, then I am not disappointed. Then if he does come, it is a pleasant surprise!

Last but not least, learn your limits and when to say no. We want to please everyone and try to do everything, but sometimes it just isn’t possible. Decide what your main goals are, for example, spend quality time with your kids, create a happy home environment, support and show love to your spouse or partner, maintain your health, etc. When you pile on extra commitments and these things start to fall by the wayside, then it is time to reevaluate! You will be more successful and so much happier when you don’t overwhelm yourself!

I am super pumped for Halloween. Who is with me? I love all the fun things to do around Halloween, so I pulled together a list for everyone! Most of these event details can be found on facebook, but feel free to comment with questions or ask on the IMP facebook page. Local pumpkin patches/farms are not on the list. Let us know if I forgot anything!

Hey guys! We are excited to get our blog back up and running! Resident life is busy or something ;) Each week you will hear from a different IMP officer, and each officer will decide what they want to write about! Stay tuned for recipes, crafts, giveaways, and just some daily musings of a resident's spouse. Thanks for reading!

To welcome the blog back, I have a giveaway for you! Last Summer I was able to review some Mexican Blankets from Del Mex, an amazing mexican blanket distributor based in Cali. They contacted me again and I was able to get another blanket to give away to you guys!! These Serape blankets are my favorite. I take mine everywhere, they are so big and all of my boys can fit on one comfortably! They are so easy to throw in the back of the car, we love taking ours to sports and just lounging in the grass!They really are my favorite take along blanket and I am excited to be able to give one away to one of our members!

To enter to win the blanket, head to www.delmex.com and tell me what your favorite blanket is! For a second entry, follow @del_mex on Instagram! Giveaway will be open until next Saturday the 22nd at midnight. I will announce the winner on Sunday!

Finding great baby shoes has been a battle of mine since I had my first kid. I was never sure what the "proper" footwear was for a baby just learning to walk, and it seemed like all of the shoes I bought him just ended up making him trip and fall. It seemed like nothing was working but we made it through the learning- to- walk- phase and moved on with life. Enter my second child: I was tired just thinking about the early walking stage. Especially with this kid- he was clumsy (without clunky shoes) and I needed something where he could actually feel the grip of his feet on the ground. I entered a giveaway on a blog and to my surprise, I had actually won! I won my first pair of Freshly Picked Mocassins- and the rest is history.

My second child wore those mocassins for about 9 months. They were my go-to shoe before he actually needed to start wearing real shoes! He had protection from the ground, but I didn't have to worry about him tripping over rubber soles (on top of his already clumsy little self!). In fact, he wore them so much, he wore a hole right through the toe.

Aside from how awesome they are for early walkers, they are so CUTE!!! Something about a baby/toddler in mocassins gets me every time. Freshly picked offers several different styles and colors, and they even have a newborn line which are less expensive! Hooray! My 3rd little guy can't wait until he fits into his new grey moccs!!!

Freshly Picked moccs run about $50-60, but I truly feel that these are an amazing investment. They hold up so great, are handmade in the US and are truly one of the only baby products that I recommend as a definite NEED. They are also super fun to give as baby shower gifts!!!

Thank you so much to Freshly Picked for allowing us to give a pair away at our Welcome Brunch a few weeks ago. Erika will have to send pictures!!!

​What’s Up Doc: July4th – Happy Independence Day!7th – Playgroup: Meet and Greet at Kristen’s House at 10:009th – Welcome Brunch at Kirkwood Room in Iowa City at 9:0013th – Playgroup: Marcus Theaters at Coralridge Mall, We are watching Home at 10:00. Cost is $2 per person.16th – Entertainment Club: Lake MacBride for a picnic and pontoon fun18th – Playgroup: Shimek Elementary in Iowa City at 10:0021st – SOS: ReUnion Brewery in Coralville at TIME.26th – Children’s Activities: Johnson County Fair Kid’s Day at 10:00. Either pack a lunch or bring money for vendors. Admission is free.28th – Book Club: We will be reading Resthaven by Erik Therme at NAME’s house at TIME. The author will be joining us.

UPCOMING EVENTS:August 27th will be our Welcome Picnic at Willow Creek Park in Iowa City. All members and their families are invited to come and get to know each other.

April Showers bring May Flowers! Hello May!! We have some fun activities coming up this month, including the Goodbye Picnic for members and their families. We hope to see you all out and about at the activities we have planned for this month and that the rainy, cold weather is behind us so we can start enjoying the outdoors! ​5 – Play Group at Penn Meadows Park at 10:0010 – Play Group at North Ridge Park at 10:0016 – Children’s Activities Tour of Texas Roadhouse at 11:0021 – Good Bye Picnic will be at City Park at 4:3025 – Play Group at Kiwanis Park at 10:00Book Club will be reading The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen and Lindsay Davis will be hosting. This will happen sometime later in the month. Keep an eye out for an evite for more info.SOS and Entertainment Club are joining forces at Baroncini in Iowa City. Keep an eye out for the evite for more information.

Have you ever been to your kids birthday parties or events and wished you were the one bouncing around in all of those fun bounce houses and slides? Well now is your chance! The Insane Inflatable 5K is coming to Cedar Rapids on June 11 and I have an entry to give away to one lucky member!

This race is more of a chance to just go out and have some fun rather than actually going to run. This is my kind of event! I can't think of anything more fun than bouncing around on some of the world's largest and most extreme inflatable obstacles ever created!

To enter the giveaway for FREE registration, comment below and let me know how excited you would be to win this!! :) For an extra entry, like Insane Inflatables on Facebook and let me know! Giveaway will close Saturday night and I will announce winner on Sunday! Good luck! _

Hello Everyone! Sorry for being a few days late sending this out. I hope that 2016 is off to a great start for you. Here are this months events and activities. We hope to see you out and about. ​1 – Happy New Year! Welcome to 2016!6 – Playgroup at North Liberty Community Center indoor playground 10:0014 – Children’s Activities at Synergy Gym at 11:0016 - SOS at Big Grover Brewery in Solon at 7:0018 – Martin Luther King Day – No School for ICCSD21 – Playgroup at Coral Ridge Mall play area 10:00-12:0025 – Playgroup at Iowa City Tot Lot 8:30-11:30 (cost is $1.50 per child)28 – Book Club will be meeting at Brenton Burger’s home and discussing A Walk in the Woods at 6:30

Keep an eye out for details on the 3rd Annual Winter Gala! It will be happening on February 20th and the theme is Masquerade.

It was warmer than we expected for November but we loved this indoor activity at the Iowa Gymnest in Coralville ! If you missed it, we are meeting again at Synergy Gynmastics in North Liberty next week!

We had another great Halloween activity this year! We celebrated at the Coralville Library on Halloween morning with a movie, crafts and doughnuts too! The kids had a great time decorating pumpkins donated by our State Farm Insurance sponsor, Carolina Espinoza. Thanks to all the families that came out!​

Here is a run down of this months events. We hope to see you out and about.

​1 – Daylight Savings Ends, roll those clocks back10 – SOS and Entertainment Club at Back Pocket Brewery in Coralville at 7:3011 – Veteran’s Day12 – Playgroup at Scanlon Gym Tot Lot in Iowa City at 9:0016 – Children’s Activities at the Iowa Gymnest in Coralville at 11:3018 – Book Club will be reading The Time Travelers Wife and meeting at 7:0026 – Happy Thanksgiving!

​Fall is one of my favorite time of year. Its not because of the beautiful colors the leaves change to, or the fun times my family has at the pumpkin patch, or the fact that its apple season and that means I can get yummy apple cider donuts and turnovers at our local orchard. All of those things are awesome, don’t get me wrong, but they aren’t my favorite thing about fall. My favorite thing is that when the weather starts to cool off it is totally acceptable for me to curl up in my favorite oversized sweatshirt, you know the one that should have been retired a few years ago because it may have a hole or two but it fits just the right way, in my favorite chair that gets just the right amount of sunlight with a book.I love to read. I always have and since becoming a Mom, it is definitely something that I have sacrificed for soccer practice and playdates and doing things around the house. When I get an excuse to curl up and read I take it, even if it means I’m going to be staying up way too late to finish “just one more chapter.” I recently came across a great new book written by a hard working Mom who also happens to live in the Iowa City area. The book is called Bearskin and it was written by Jamie Robyn Wood.Bearskin is based off of a lesser known fairy tale by the Grimm Brothers called Bearskin. I had never heard the original story so I didn’t have anything to base the story off of going into it but I loved the story. The characters were all so different and very well developed so as the reader you feel you can understand them. The journey that each character goes on is intertwined with one another and that makes the book more interesting.To start there was an Evil Queen, who wasn’t always so evil. She was power hungry and had magicked her way into a position where people feared her and served her without question. The Evil Queen was married to the once powerful King, whom she had turned into a weak coward, and they had three children, a daughter, Moiria from the Queen’s first marriage, a son Conrad, from the King’s first marriage, and a son Heppson who was the youngest and the only product of the King and Queen’s marriage. The Evil Queen wants to remain in power so she sets Heppson on a quest to secure her position but what she doesn’t account for is the love her children have for each other.This is the start of a journey for each of the Princess and Princes. On this journey they meet Lark and Heart, two sisters who live in the woods far away from the castle. The sisters go on their own journey in the book while their love for each other is tested and new love forms for each of them. You will meet the Guardians of the Forest who can shift between human and animal form. Each has a special gift to help guide our friends on their journeys.With all of these characters and journeys it is hard to imagine that all of their lives are intertwined but Jamie does an amazing job creating a story that shows all of these relationships. I was very impressed with the book. It is a young adult novel and it was so nice to read a young adult novel that I wouldn’t mind my daughter reading. There was no strong language or sexual scenes, a rarity in most literature these days. Even though this is a young adult novel, it is not juvenile and I feel like most adults would enjoy it.I especially loved that the book was written by another Iowa City mom. I think it is so neat to have other women in our community who have such neat careers. Come and join us at book club next week while we discuss Bearskin with Jamie Robyn Wood! October 22nd at 8:00 PM. Check your inboxes for the evite with more information.

I have a brilliant product to share with you guys today! If you have kids you know the constant battle with cups and sippy cup leaks and spills! It is a constant battle at my house and I have tried so many products. I am excited to have gotten to try out these SipSnap lids!

The SipSnaps are a rubber topper that fit over almost any cup! There are a few different styles, and they come in various colors in 3-packs. The Snug Spout turns any cup into a sippy cup, and the Snug Straw gives normal cups a cover, and fits any straw! It is important to note that these toppers are not completely leak- proof, so if your child shakes them or turns them upside down they will slowly leak, but they do definitely prevent major spills!

My two year old is literally the most accident prone child in the world. I clean multiple spills from my kitchen and floor a day, so I knew I had to give these a try. He loves drinking from them because he gets a special straw, and I win because I don't have to spill up a giant puddle of milk from my table. Wahoo! In these pictures I had the SipSnap over a small mason jar, but we have also used them over the beloved IKEA tumbler cups and they work great on those as well. I guess glass wasn't the best idea to give him, but I thought it looked cute ;)

SipSnap Features:Stretches over all cup sizesMade of high quality LFGB approved food grade siliconeSpill-proofChew resistant drinking spout on SnugSpoutsBPA-, Phthalate-, and Latex-freeGives you more choice over the material your child drinks fromRoll-stop bumper so your tipped cup doesn’t go farDishwasher safe and boil safe for sterilizationFolds and stacks for compact storageEnvironmentally responsible—Use the cups you already ownComes with a case so you can easily take it along on small and big tripsGreat to use at restaurants and parties!!!

ALSO.... This was a totally random thought I had the other day, but I used my SipSnap over some canned peaches that my boys didn't finish! Kept them so fresh for the next time! :)

If you want to try these out, you can order at SipSnap.com! They come in a 3-pack for $20.

SipSnap sent me a 3-pack and I will be giving away one of my covers, because let's be honest, who doesn't like to win something once in a while!!!

To enter: Tell me your best sippy cup story! It can be your favorite kind, a funny story, a special tip for cleaning...the possibilities are endless! Only one comment to enter. Winner will be chosen on Wednesday the 14th!

Happy Fall Ya'll! Here is the run down of this months events. We hope to see you out there!

1 - Playgroup at Synergy Gymnastics 11:007 - Playgroup at ST Morrison Park 10:0010 - Entertainment Club at Bloomsbury Farms 10:00 (arrive by 12:30 to receive the IMP discounted admission of $5 per person)14 - Playgroup at Kiwanis Park 10:0017 - SOS at Cedar Ridge Vineyard 3:0022 - Playgroup at North Ridge Park 10:0022 - Book Club at Ashley Breinholt's house reading Bearskin by Jamie Robyn Wood. There are copies available at the North Liberty Library and the author is coming to discuss the book.31 - HALLOWEEN31 - Children's Activities Halloween Party at Coralville Library at 10:00 keep an eye out for a service project opportunity at the party. ​

I recently came across a really cool company called Modify. They create watches that you are able to customize. The bands and faces are sold separate and you can create a color combo that is perfect for you!

The band is made of a soft silicone and comes in so many different colors. I am usually not a watch person but I have been wearing this watch almost everyday! It is so comfy and the band is such a fun color. Mine is seafoam green. If you find a watch face that you like a lot you could even get a few different bands and just switch it up to make people think you bought a new watch.

The face is made of a thick plastic that is light weight. The art work on the back of the face is great and there are so many options! Mine is gold glitter and I love it! The sparkles go with everything and look so fun!

If you want to check out Modify and pick up a watch for yourself now is the time to do it! They are currently running a special on their website where you can get 40% off with the code WATCHABLE! Go and check them out!!

Tonight's fun with SOS and Entertainment Club included line dancing, delicious food, and great conversation among friends!

We headed out to Wildwood Saloon in Iowa City where they offer FREE line dancing lessons almost every Thursday night, so we'll definitely have to do this again! The food was SO good, and the regulars were friendly and wanted to dance with everyone!

***The next SOS will be on October 17th at 3pm at Cedar Ridge Vineyard in Swisher! We'll be taking a tour of the winery, and then will enjoy each others company while eating their famous brick oven pizzas!***

*If you have any ideas or suggestions for future SOS locations, feel free to let Jess Hicks know!*

Looq Bluetooth LED Lightbulb

I have found the greatest way to keep my kids entertained and help them burn off energy all at the same time. Two words for you, Dance. Party. That’s right, we have our own little dance parties with our own fancy colored lights thanks to the Looq Bluetooth LED Lightbulb. This lightbulb links to your cell phone through an app that is very easy to download and use. Though the app you can change the color of your lightbulb and adjust how bright the light is. You can set a timer to turn your light on and off at certain times every day. You can use your phone to turn the light on and off just by shaking the phone as well. The best feature of this app is syncing the light to your music. My kids love to turn on their favorite songs and watch the light change colors and pulse to the beat. Its our own little discotech. I think that this light will help us dance away the winter blues in a few months when we are all stuck inside because of the cold. If you want one of your own you can pick one up from Looqsystems.com or from Amazon for $44.99. It is awesome and it is worth it!

Looq Smart Watch

How many of you have seen those cool Apple Watches that everyone seems to have? Those are so great and convenient but they are only for Apple users. What about the Android people? I have a solution for you, the Looq Smart Watch. This watch pairs with Android phones with an easy to use app. The watch has lots of easy to use features, like messaging and the ability to make phone calls and control your music. It has a pedometer, a sleep monitor, and a phone tracker to help you find your phone when it gets lost. There are also alarms to help you to remember to drink enough water. Boom! Now Android users have a cool watch to use too! You can pick yourself, or your Doc, up one of those great watches from looqsystems.com or from Amazon for $39.99. That’s a way better price than that other smart watch!